“I can either do it, or I can’t.”
“This challenge is too difficult for me.”
“It’s best to just stick to what I know.”
If you’re like most lawyers, you’ve thought this at one time or another, especially during law school.
Sometimes, things seem to big for us, and we respond by limiting ourselves. Failure stings, and it’s easier to stay within our comfort zones.
This is called a fixed mindset and unfortunately, it can cause big problems for your law firm.
A Fixed Mindset, Defined
A fixed mindset is fairly self-explanatory. It’s a mindset characterized by the belief that things are the way they are and you are only able to do what you can do. Feedback and criticism become personal and are an indication of your limitations. Challenges are uncomfortable and frustration leads to quitting.
How Does a Fixed Mindset Cause Problems for Law Firms?
This plays a role in your law firm because a fixed mindset will prevent your firm from growing to its full potential. A lawyer with a fixed mindset may believe that they can only have a low caseload or they’re not adept at a certain practice area so they stop taking on cases in that specific field of law.
A lawyer with a fixed mindset will spin their wheels and get nowhere.
Did you know we also have a Facebook Group filled with motivated, like-minded lawyers like yourself looking to expand their knowledge and scale their business? It’s the perfect opportunity to surround yourself by those with a Growth Mindset.
What Is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset is essentially the opposite. It’s a mindset characterized by the belief that you can change the way things are and you are able to do anything with hard work and determination.
Feedback and criticism are fuel for you to better yourself and there really are no limitations. Challenges are seen as opportunities to grow and you believe that your effort and attitude determine your abilities.
How Does a Growth Mindset Help Law Firms?
To put it simply, a growth mindset helps law firms grow. A lawyer with a growth mindset is willing to take on more challenging cases and is inspired by the success of other attorneys who have won difficult claims. Criticism on a particular type of case doesn’t lead them to stop taking those types of cases — instead, they use the feedback to determine what they need to learn to become better.
An attorney with a growth mindset will always be ready for the next step and therefore, always moving forward.
If a fixed mindset has been ingrained in you, it can be a hard thing to break. However, it’s critical if you want your law firm to truly succeed — especially in today’s competitive legal field.